Other items to consider when selecting a roofing contractor for complete re-roofs or for commercial roof repairs in Boise, ID or the surrounding Treasure Valley area are a company’s ability to do the work, their experience and work history, and their financial soundness. Not just anyone who has a truck and ladder and a few tools is qualified to perform commercial roofing repairs, install new roofs or even find and fix roof leaks.

For larger projects, ensure a contractor is prequalified and has obtained the necessary manufacturer requirements to competently complete the scope of work. This is also good practice when having commercial repair work or roof leaks fixed. Not all contractors are manufacturer approved or certified to work with the manufacturer’s material. In ensuring the contractor possess the ability to perform the work necessary gives the customer peace of mind that the job will completed to specifications and keeping the warranty valid.

When checking a contractors experience and work history it’s important to establish that their marketing materials match their completed jobs, including systems installed and repaired, size and magnitude of scope of work, and timeliness of completion. Also, verifying past ownership or management with current business practices ensures what they’ve done in the past is what you’ll be getting for your project.

Financial soundness becomes more important for lengthy or time consuming projects. Guarantee a company has the resources to carry a long-term project. If a company lacks the ability to do this and abandons the project before completion finding a contractor to pick up where the first one left off could be challenging, as the new contractor will most likely not want to assume the risk and responsibility of the prior contractor’s work. Obtaining a warranty in this situation could also present insurmountable challenges. Asking for financial references is common practice today.

Metal roofs are one of the most durable and long-lasting roofing systems for pitched roofs. Standing seam metal roofs are vertical panels with two raised seams per panel, which are sealed via a crimping tool. Standing seam metal roofing systems are installed to the underlayment by clips allowing the metal to expand and contract as the outside temperature fluctuates. Installation is relatively easy, making labor cost lower than other more time intensive installation processes.

There are many advantages to choosing a standing seam metal roofing system. They can be installed over the existing roof in certain circumstances and due to various radius profiles they are ideal for buildings with several roof levels. Metal roofs accentuate the roof plane and add dramatic lines from ridges to eaves. Panels are constructed from steel, aluminum, and copper and come in a variety of colors and finishes. Panel gauges offer a variety of weather tolerance, even withstanding heavy snow loads without collapsing, and energy efficient options that reflect the sun, cutting down on cooling costs. They also have high wind tolerances and have fire resistant properties.

Upson Company’s metal shop can customize any metal and has solutions for any structural or design preferences. Metal roofs require minimal maintenance – once to twice yearly, cutting down on roof maintenance annual budgets. Very little volume of commercial roof leaks in Boise, Idaho and the surrounding Treasure Valley come from metal roofs, and those that do come in are usually from metal roofs that haven’t had routine maintenance done. On that same note, Upson Company technicians rarely get calls for commercial roof repairs on metal roofs. Metal roofs have the durability and longevity to withstand the weather and climate in the Boise, Idaho area and are ideal options when choosing a new roofing system for pitched roofs.

This time of year the heat is unavoidable. Roofs are exposed to these unavoidable rays without much cool down time. Roof temperatures far exceed ground temperature due to heat absorption. That heat can remained trapped long after the sun has gone down.

A roofing system’s ability to reflect the sun’s rays and its ability to radiate absorbed heat, instead of trapping it within the building, determines its coolness ratio. “Cool” roofs have high solar reflectance and thermal emittance ratings. They keep cooling costs down and help reduce the urban heat island effect.

Upgrading your roof’s coolness factor can be done easily with a coating. Much like applying sun screen to keep skin from being burned, coatings applied to roofs help reflect the sun and help reduce heat absorption. Upson Company’s commercial roof repair division can apply coatings specifically made for your roofing system. Coatings are a less expensive option than re-roofing and can give years of benefits and help extend the expected lifetime of a roofing system.

Insulation upgrades can also help with building heat absorption. Adding insulation or using a higher R-value insulation can help reduce the building’s cooling costs in the summer and heating costs in the winter. If a roof had multiple leaks this past winter or spring and the insulation got wet and wasn’t addressed it loses its ability to insulate, which would cause higher cooling costs, as well.

If a roofing system is a cool roof, but the building is experiencing higher than usual cooling costs there could be a problem with the roof. Dirty roofs can’t reflect the sun as efficiently as clean roofs. Bi-annual cleanings keep roofs working efficiently. If it has been over six months since the last roof cleaning then the roof is overdue for a good scrubbing.

When it comes time to hire out for work, whether for interior or exterior jobs, you want to know the job is going to be done correctly. More than likely the reason why you are hiring someone is because you lack the necessary knowledge to do the job yourself and you want someone with the knowledge and skill set to be able to do what you cannot do.

However, as with most things, there could be more than one way to get to the job done. Each way could have its own set of benefits or drawbacks or both. One way could be faster, but not the best long-term solution, meaning deterioration could happen quicker. Another way could take longer, but be an overkill solution to the job, costing more in man hours. And then another way could be a solution if proper materials were used. Sometimes you just don’t know what kind of end product you’ll receive when you commission someone else to do it, especially if you don’t have the knowledge base to know if what they’re doing is correct.

At Upson Company, commercial roof repairs and commercial roof leaks are completed with years of knowledge and experience– over 40 years worth. Those years have provided Upson Company with the experience to know which way works best for any roofing system. Having partnered with manufacturers and suppliers across the Treasure Valley area and beyond, Upson Company has established an excellence in quality that no other roofing company in the Boise, Idaho area can match. When you call Upson Company you know you are hiring a roofing contractor who will use the correct way to complete your project, because they are an expert in the field. And if you still have your doubts, just ask for references – we have plenty.

Summer is still here, but fall is going to be on summer’s heels before we know it. It’s hard to think about cooler, wetter weather when it is still so hot outside and the sun stays out for the better part of the day. And most of us would like to not think about the end of summer and the beginning of yet another cold season and what that means to our buildings and roofs.

Fall preparations for colder, wetter weather conditions should not be ignored and should be addressed in a timely manner. Before the weather turns, roof inspections need to be completed and any commercial roof repairs or roof leaks need to be addressed. Doing so will ensure your roof is prepared to meet the challenges this fall and winter will present.

Preparing for the weather change is easy when you call Upson Company. Upson Company technicians will review your roof, document items that need addressed, replace or fix said items according to the agreement they’ve made with you, and clean your roof. If bigger issues are identified solutions to remedy those bigger issues will be supplied for your review and decision. As always, Upson Company can tailor solutions to meet your budgeting needs and still address the issue.

Once Upson Company has inspected your roof, should any issue arise they will be on hand to address them for you. And if something was missed during an inspection they will be back for immediate correction. However, technicians are well-trained and rarely miss items that need addressed. You can rest assured you will be in good hands when Upson Company is the one doing the job.

With a clean and repaired roof, your roof will be ready to weather the fall and winter storms and you can get back to thinking about what to do with the rest of your summer.

The dog days of summer are here with high temperature days, short nights and school gearing up for the next term. While everyone prepares for back-to-school with shopping for supplies and appropriate clothing for the coming year it’s a good time to prepare other areas of life for the seasonal change and the year ahead.

As with yard prep and vehicle maintenance for winter driving, your commercial roof needs its own maintenance as well. This means scheduling a commercial fall inspection and cleaning. Regular cleanings and inspections ensure your roof is ready for the months ahead and that nothing was damaged by the weather in the previous six months.

While your roof is designed to deal with high temperatures, expansion joints need regular inspection. As caulking is heated for long periods over the summer months it might deteriorate and not be completely up to standards for the prolonged cold temperatures of the months ahead. Cracked caulking at expansion joints will allow moisture and water to enter, causing roof leaks and moisture retention in the roof substrate.

High temperatures inevitably bring wind at some point. Wind carries dust and debris, which is deposited in nooks along your roof. Unfortunately, those nooks are typically your roof drains. Drains need to be cleared of all dust and debris for proper water flow during the wet months. Clogged drains lead to ponding water. Ponding water is never good for roofs as it raises the roof plane, which means that water gets into and settles into places it shouldn’t be in, for instance around a unit. Standing water on roofs can also accelerate deterioration if it’s a constant phenomenon.

Roofs tend to get forgotten until there’s a problem. Be proactive this fall and get your roof maintenance completed by Upson Company and you’ll have a worry-free, hassle-free winter.

Upson Company is a locally owned and operated Maintenance & Repair roofing contractor located in the Boise Valley with a 41 year track record of financial stability and consist year round work. Upson Company develops our workforce from within and offers apprentice training from laborer to lead man positions. We have been able to retain key employees whose tenure with the company for some is over 20 years. Throughout our 41 year history, the company has been able to thrive through both economic booms and economic down turns. For these reasons we are looking for several qualified candidates to fill the role of Maintenance & Repair Step 1 Apprentice. The candidate will be trained and certified by company. The candidate will report directly to acting lead man and foreman of project site.

Willingness to be trained each week in the trade of Maintenance & Repair roofing by foreman and journeyman

Compensation:

$13.25 per hour based on experience

First 90 day compensation evaluation by production manager

Increases as apprentice level steps are completed

Performance increase as recommended by foreman and or production manager

Benefits:

100% paid by employer group health coverage, group dental coverage available and vision coverage after 60 days. Spouse and family members may be added to health coverage and employer will pay 25% of the premium.

Upson Company is a locally owned and operated Maintenance & Repair roofing contractor located in the Boise Valley with a 41 year track record of financial stability and consist year round work. Upson Company develops our workforce from within and offers apprentice training from laborer to lead man positions. We have been able to retain key employees whose tenure with the company for some is over 20 years. Throughout our 41 year history, the company has been able to thrive through both economic booms and economic down turns. For these reasons we are looking for several qualified candidates to fill the role of Maintenance & Repair Step 2 Apprentice. The candidate will be trained and certified by company. The candidate will report directly to acting lead man and foreman of project site.

Willingness to be trained each week in the trade of Maintenance & Repair roofing by foreman and journeyman

Compensation:

$15.00 per hour based on experience

First 90 day compensation evaluation by production manager

Increases as apprentice level steps are completed

Performance increase as recommended by foreman and or production manager

Benefits:

100% paid by employer group health coverage, group dental coverage available and vision coverage after 60 days. Spouse and family members may be added to health coverage and employer will pay 25% of the premium.

Upson Company is a locally owned and operated commercial roofing contractor located in the Boise Valley with a 41 year track record of financial stability and consist year round work. Upson Company develops our workforce from within and offers apprentice training from laborer to lead man positions. We have been able to retain key employees whose tenure with the company for some is over 20 years. Throughout our 41 year history, the company has been able to thrive through both economic booms and economic down turns. For these reasons we are looking for two qualified candidate to fill the role of Commercial Foreman. The candidate will be using the latest up to date electronic technology to communicate with customers and office. The candidate will report directly to the Commercial Production Manager.

Major results we want to see:

Produce repairs on time with budget for work orders and bids

Develop and maintain customer service with new and established customers

Proficient problem solver in regards to roof leaks

Duties of the position included:

Manager and prioritize multiple work orders to completion on a weekly basis

Basic computer skills with Excel and Word documents and ability to learn new software

Valid Driver’s License with no restriction

Compensation:

$22-25 per hour based on experience

Performance and compensation review on an annual basis

Benefits:

100% paid by employer group health coverage, group dental coverage available and vision coverage after 60 days. Spouse and family members may be added to health coverage and employer will pay 25% of the premium.

Upson Company is a locally owned and operated commercial roofing contractor located in the Boise Valley with a 41 year track record of financial stability and consist year round work. Upson Company develops our workforce from within and offers apprentice training from laborer to lead man positions. We have been able to retain key employees whose tenure with the company for some is over 20 years. Throughout our 41 year history, the company has been able to thrive through both economic booms and economic down turns. For these reasons we are looking for several qualified candidates to fill the role of Commercial Sheet Metal Journeyman. The candidate will be trained and certified by company. The candidate will report directly to acting lead man and foreman of project site.

Major results we want to see:

4,000 hours of continual commercial roofing work

Demonstrates proficiency in all phases of commercial roofing as per Upson Company Apprentice Program Steps 1-4

Current with all OSHA, fork lift, man lift, first aid, CERTA certifications

Duties of the position included:

Willingness to assist the foreman in training apprentice is commercial roofing applications

Performance increase as recommended by foreman and or production manager

Benefits:

100% paid by employer group health coverage, group dental coverage available and vision coverage after 60 days. Spouse and family members may be added to health coverage and employer will pay 25% of the premium.